Online Tickets

Straight from Sunset's inaugural 1960 season comes this classic comedy that inspired the musical MAME!  When Patrick loses his father, it's not off to the orphanage for this young lad.  His Auntie Mame welcomes him with open arms and introduces him to a life he never imagined, full of madcap parties, silly high jinks and unbelievable surprises.  Love can be wild, love can be fun, and love knows no bounds when you've got someone like Auntie Mame on your side.

Plus, new this season, join us for Kroupa's Fish Fry Friday in our Studio Theater prior to our final Friday performance during the run of AUNTIE MAME!  Elm Grove's own Kroupa's Family Cafe and Catering serves up a delicious fish fry for an affordable price, and The Playhouse finishes off your night with a super show!  It's a great night of dining and entertainment that won't break the bank.  (Call our Box Office at (262)782-4431 to reserve your spot for Fish Fry Friday today!)

AUNTIE MAME from Waukesha Freeman

This is a review from Julie McHale that appeared in the September 17, 2009 print edition of The Waukesha Freeman and on-line at http://www.gmtoday.com/timeout/reviews/topstory414.asp: 'Auntie Mame' loaded with colorful characters By JULIE McHALE - TimeOut Theater Critic September 18, 2009 It all began with a novel written in 1955 by an admiring nephew about his unusual aunt and ended up being a big hit as a play, a film and a musical. Rosalind Russell, Angela Lansbury and Lucille Ball have all brought this character to life. The drama goes by the title "Auntie Mame" and follows her through her roller-coaster life with her orphaned nephew Patrick and a cadre of other bizarre acquaintances. Though the script is somewhat dated, the exotic Mame herself is a memorable, prodigious figure made for the stage. Costume designer Kathleen Smith must have been challenged as she put together a wardrobe worthy of Mame’s lavish style. Set designer Dana D. Fralick had to capture multiple settings from her Manhattan apartment to a Texas ranch to the pyramids and the Alps. It was well done on both counts. But the Sunset Playhouse show belongs to Mame, well-defined and executed by Mary DeBatttista, who captures her flamboyance, resilience, recklessness and magnanimity. The story begins with Patrick’s arrival on her doorstep with his nanny, Norah. He is immediately fascinated by this relative who is so different from the man who raised him. Patrick’s father, well aware of the radical hands he was placing his son in, had arranged for a trustee to oversee his upbringing, so Mr. Babcock becomes the antagonist who tries to save Patrick from the ravages of his radical aunt. Another conflict arises when the stock market crashes and Mame is temporarily impoverished. She tries acting, clerking, selling her possessions and eliminating all the frills from her life, but eventually is rescued from poverty by a generous oil king from Texas who re-instates her appetite for the high lifestyle. Mame is never satisfied with mere survival; she must flourish. Along the way we meet a multitude of personalities, all unique, many extreme. From the histrionic actress Vera, the ostentatious Irish ghost writer Brian O’Bannion, the swashbuckling oil baron Beauregard Burnside to the cringing Agnes Gooch and the spiteful Sally Cato, the story is littered with caricatures, all coupled with the biggest caricature of all: Mame. The cast was large, but several actors stood out for their fine performances. Randall T. Anderson as the obsequious butler Ito, Marge Kurtz as the muttering maid Norah Muldoon, Samuel Bauer and Robert Dunlop as the young and adult Patricks, Victoria Hudziak as the hapless Agnes Gooch, Ann Morrow as the righteous Mrs. Doris Upson and Mark Neufang as the tedious narcissist Brian O’Bannion. The second act is better than the first, which dragged a bit. One of the best scenes in the whole show is the hunting scene on the Texas ranch, which was very cleverly executed. The comedy elicited by the Danish sofa for the Upson visit was also a prized moment. Overall, Mark Salentine pulled all elements together admirably, a challenge to be sure.

Read our full blog

There are presently no blog entries for this show

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director - Mark Salentine

Stage Managers - Jennifer Allen, Dick Katschke

Assistant Stage Managers - Tim Crowley, Amy Macali, Cindy Zauner

Scenic Designer - Dana D. Fralick

Technical Director - J. Michael Desper

Lighting Designer - Marty Wallner

Costume Designer - Kathleen Smith

Costume Assistant - Samantha Moyer

Hair Stylist/Wig Master - Anthony Mackie

Sound Designers - Jan Pritzl, Mark Salentine

Properties Mistresses - Cheryl Harvey, Mary Krauss

CAST (Alphabetically by actor name)

Inge Adams - Mother Burnside, Ensemble

Randall T. Anderson -  Ito

Samuel Bauer - Young Patrick, Michael Dennis

Edward Carroll - Mr. Babcock, Uncle Moultrie, Ensemble

Deanna Chapman - Sally Cato MacDougal, Ensemble

Mary C. DeBattista - Auntie Mame

Nick DeSiato - Mr. Loomis, Paper Hanger, Horse Groom, Ensemble

Robert Dunlop - Adult Patrick, Osbert, Butler, Shopper

Cody Hagen - Emory MacDougal, Customer’s Son

Victoria Hudziak - Agnes Gooch, Customer, Aunt Euphemia, Ensemble

James Jonas - Mr. Claude Upson, Lithuanian Bishop, Shopper

Kris Knudsen - Radcliffe, Stage Manager, Shopper, Horse Groom

Kay Knudsen Esposito - Vera Charles

Marge Kurtz - Norah Muldoon

Philip Andrew Martin - Beauregard Burnside, Ralph Devine, Lord Dudley

Kaitlin McCarthy - Pegeen Ryan, Maid, Shopper, Ensemble

Ann Morrow - Mrs. Doris Upson, Cousin Fan, Customer, Ensemble

Mark Neufang - Brian O’Bannion, Ensemble

Gene Schuldt - Theatre Manager, Cousin Jeff, Dr. Fuchtwanger

David Scott - Lindsay Woolsey, Vet

Jennifer Vosters - Gloria Upson, Lizzie Beaufort, Ensemble